hockey

To be able to run the distances I want, I’m finding that I have to spend a lot of time at the gym. Which isn’t a problem; I love spending time at the gym. It isn’t always easy; I have to fit it into my schedule and with the NHL Playoffs and my running clients and my NASM studies, my personal time is getting crowded.

Tomorrow will be INSANE!!! I need to wake up at 5:00am, get an 8-mile run in, then get home, take my NASM mid-term and afterwards, watch the Rangers defeat the Washington Capitals!

I’m excited and nervous about my day. I want things to go well. I’ve worked hard to prepare to my run and for my test. And of course, I don’t want the Rangers’ season to be over.

I’ve been working on some recipes that I should be posting in the next week along with pictures.

This morning, I went out for my first run in over a week. It felt good to get out in the warm San Francisco air and get in a little over 2 miles. Even though I had been away and couldn’t get any running in, my legs felt strong and I wasn’t too tired out running up and down a few hills.

And even in the warm morning air, I missed New York City.

I had would could be considered one of the best vacations of my life. Everything went really well. I ate, I walked, I laughed, I met fantastic people, I ate some more, I walked and walked, I saw spectacular Rangers hockey, I awed over beautiful sites, I ate some more, and I walked.

It was incredibly cold in NYC during my stay. The temperature fluctuated a few degrees, but it never got above 35 degrees. On Sunday afternoon, it snowed, and the city couldn’t have looked more beautiful with that fresh coat of white.

Because I’m a city girl and very familiar with public transportation, I had no problem figuring out the subway system. It’s much easier than MUNI. The signs are everywhere and the trains run much more often. You can get nearly anywhere you want to on the subways. And because they’re old, there are few escalators, so you’ll be walking up and down A LOT of stairs. I have to say this about New Yorkers; they have strong leg muscles to walk up and down those stairs every day! It’s what probably helped with me gaining no weight.

That’s right! Even with all the bagels, pizza, pastrami, Junior’s cheesecake (THE BEST!!!!), and everything else I had, I didn’t gain an ounce. So. Much. Food….

But so many beautiful places to walk and run. The next time I go, I will stay closer to Central park so I can run. It just wasn’t practical where I stayed to get a run in.

But now I’m back home, ready to get going and tackle my 2015 goals. They are: To lose weight, tone up, and run the California International Marathon in December.

Here are some pictures from my trip. If there was any way for me to move to New York and work there, I would in a NY minute….

I love sports and to be more precinct, I love hockey. I’m a big New York Rangers fan. Since we don’t have an NHL team here in San Francisco, I started following the Rangers years ago. I tried to follow the San Jose Sharks, but I never took to them. San Jose is worlds away; might as well be Los Angeles to me. So, the Rangers grew to be my team. The nearly won everything last year, and I’m excited to see what they can do this season.

Even more exciting, I’m traveling to New York this upcoming February, so I’m saving up my dollars to go. I already have my airline tickets, game tickets and hotel reservations. Stoked!

Tonight the Rangers played one of their dreaded rivals the Long Island Islanders, otherwise known as the Fish Sticks, which refers back to the stupid logo the team used to have that looked like the Gorton’s fisherman. I went out for my run after work when the Second Intermission started.

Tonight was the first visible night of Fall. The wind was blowing stronger than ever before and the air had a welcomed chill, especially after the heat of this past weekend. It felt good to run. My body felt good and even though I was doing a demanding hill run, it was a great run.

The Rangers were doing good. The score was tied, but the team was on top of things. And then…..one of the rookies blew it and then it all went to hell. The Rangers lost to Long Island 6-3. I was shouting at this certain player during the last half mile of my run louder than I had meant to. Fortunately, few people pay attention to anyone shouting in San Francisco. That alone says a lot about what type of city we have. We have enough crazy homeless people everywhere that someone shouting doesn’t cause anyone to even look up.

The last few blocks were all downhill and I was traveling faster than I had ever realized. It it felt so good! My legs were light and strong, I was bounding down the steep sidewalk like nothing could stop me. Even though the game went into the garbage, my run was pretty awesome. So, I guess taking my frustration out on the pavement in an excellent run is much better than throwing my TV out the window. Wouldn’t you say?

It was a good week’s work. It may not seem like a big deal, but getting one week’s worth of workouts done in a pretty big deal for me right now.

With the exception of some expected soreness, I feel good. My knee is doing great. I took it smart, didn’t push myself too hard, but I did push myself.

Monday I hit the YMCA after work, getting in a good session of floor work that included Yoga moves, back stretches, squats, planks, and the like, as well as leg presses and a complete set of all the arm lifts and reps I do now.

Tuesday – 2 miles.

Wednesday, no workout, but I did walk 5 miles throughout the day.

Thursday – ran 2 miles.

Friday – rest day.

Saturday – Another day at the gym – strength and core training.

Sunday – 3 mile run.

I’m taking it slow to get back into it the right way. I want my entire body to be good, as I want to continue my running life well on in the future. It feels great.

Tomorrow night, pre-season hockey starts and the Rangers have their first game, so it’s a rest night. I’ll workout the rest of the week, however and let you know how it goes.

I watched two games last night on television, two different games in two different sports. Both important games in their sport yet each athlete I honed in on are so polar opposite I felt the need to share.

It’s NHL Playoff season. The series are long and brutal. Each series lasts seven games. The winner of each series moves up to the next stage until the reach the championship for the Stanley Cup, the granddaddy of all pro sports awards. Nothing beats it. Nothing.

My New York Rangers were 1 win, 3 losses against the Pittsburgh Penguins. One more loss and they’re out of it. So, they had to win last night. One of their new star players Martin St. Louis also had a personal tragedy. His mother, after a long, extended illness, passed away on Thursday the day before yesterday.

He flew home to Montreal immediately to be with his family and after a brief visit talking it over with them, decided to play Friday night, his father telling him that’s what his mother would have wanted him to do. He played with a courageous face and a brave heart. He put it all on the ice. He commented that she was with him the whole game and indeed she was, in his heart and in his soul.

Contrast that emotionally charged, beautifully touching picture with this: a bravado, cocky young Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team player, Yasiel Puig so full of himself he makes a big deal out of every hit he gets. In fact, he celebrates nearly every walk, every hit, every on base that comes his way. He throws a tantrum each time a pitcher dares throw a strike past him. And if he’s out, he nearly stomps up and down in protest. He flips his bat even when getting a single and saunters to first base, taking his time. He hit a home run last night and took extra time to brag about the moment towards my team (SF Giants’) pitcher Madison Bumgarner. This angered the more mature Bumgarner, as it would anyone, which if it had been an isolated incident wouldn’t attract any attention, but because Puig does this every time he’s at bat makes him the Justin Beiber of Major League Baseball. Puig’s behavior is tolerated by the Dodgers’ organization as Beiber’s disgraceful behavior is tolerated by the commercial music industry.

But what do these individuals have to do with a fitness and health blog, namely MY blog? Because like St. Louis and Puig, we all have the chance to act in life. We CHOOSE how to act in our lives. We’re never perfect. Humans make mistakes. Each and every moment we’re given the chance to make choices how we treat ourselves and other people. If we screw up, we can choose not make those same choices again.

When someone like Martin St. Louis, who knows his team is relying on him to him to help them win the team’s most important game of the year, even in his moment of pain and despair chooses to stand tall and put aside such heartbreak and be the stronger for it, he’s made a choice. When Puig acts like a spoiled princess because he can’t get his way and stomps his feet, treating others like crap, that’s the choice he made. But he makes that choice over and over and over again. He never learns that this is not the way to behave. Whether he has no one to teach him otherwise, or if he’s been told this is the way to act to get what he wants is unclear, but somewhere along the line, something went wrong.

So, we have a choice to make. Will we be our stronger selves today and make the right choices or do something else?